Rusty’s Bar and Grill West Side Tucson

West side, y’all. What do bikers, grandma, crying babies; latin chicks on the late night prowl, plumbers, draft beer, dentists, chicken tenders, local business owners, and a guy without teeth have in common? Depending on the time of day and the whim of the deity that controls Tucson’s west side bar and grill life at the corner of Silverbell and Grant, the answer is Rusty’s Sports Bar.

We’ve eaten there several times, not because it is incredible or innovative, but because it is convenient and it’s pretty good bar food. I wouldn’t say we are regulars of the Rusty’s bar scene, but we do stop in for lunch about once a week.

Like I said the food is almost always good. The service is almost always better than average and if you like burgers, nachos, fries, and really well prepared sandwiches, and Rusty’s is in your neighborhood, then you already know it is the best of your choices on the west side. We have Theresa’s Mosaic Café which is a cool concept in a great location but order their food and you will quickly learn it’s the epitome of mediocrity. It just falls flat every time we try to give it another chance. We are sure you will be consistently underwhelmed too. You’ve got a Famous Sam’s right around the corner which we previously reviewed as one of the nastiest eating experiences we ever experienced anytime anywhere. Including that unfortunate Mazatlan experience. There’s Bianchi’s Pizza down the street which has somehow perfected Safeway’s frozen Pizza crust ala Tuscan cardboard boxes. And that’s about it, unless you want to drive up to Ina Road.

So even with their competition pretty much competing to stay at the bottom on a consistent basis, Rusty’s manages to always stay above the fray. They have surprisingly great salads, so long as you order one that has not been thrown together and stored “for the lunch rush.” They have hands down (and rather surprisingly) one of the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had. At night the service and quality slips just a tad bit, but overall, this is still a good place to eat and have a couple of drinks. A working man’s bar. A place where any woman or man can hang out and relax and kick back a shot of Jaeger (my favorite if it’s cold and Rusty’s is) or get their beer goggles on looking through the nightly beer special. I do have one piece of bad news. The chicken wings are not the best. No really. Everything on the menu is often pretty good and qualifies as better than bar food, but my saying the wings are nothing to crave is generous.

But the bottom line is that we keep coming back. No matter what our “diet” is or what we are craving, Rusty’s is willing to accommodate. Chicken fingers, great salads, appetizers, burgers, gut buster nachos, a great beer selection and full liquor bar with OK bartenders. What else can you ask for? It’s a really good neighborhood bar with TV’s EVERYWHERE . Locally owned and consistently delivering something that customers keep coming back for. It’s totally cool to take your family in during the day and then as it turns into a bar and the sun sets Rusty’s regulars transform it into a full fledge bar. I’m not sure what the late great Rusty was shooting for but if it was an honest bar that serves a good burger that friends and family love to hang out in, then he can relax just a little bit more. His wife and the employees have treated his name sake well.

We’ll keep going back and suggest you try them out. Hint- Rusty’s Onion rings are giant crispy flakey on the outside rings of delicious friedness.

Suggest you also try out the turkey burger, cob salad, and any of their burgers or sandwiches.